Page 63 of No Fear
“You don’t have to like it but you do have to let me deal with this myself, however I see fit. This isn’t about you. It’s about Rachel and she’s mine so I’ll protect her and if it comes to it, I’ll ask you for help the same way you asked me when Jemma needed it.”
His brothers were silent for a long moment as they all three sat there, watching the girls dance to their silly song. For the first time in a long time, he knew exactly what the twins were thinking. They’d been able to do that when they were kids. Read each other’s minds. Not just Cash and Colt but him too. And right now he knew that they were thinking the same thing he was.
Whatever it took, whatever the problem, they would protect their women.
Jemma turned towards their table and crooked a finger and Cash chuckled. He was on his feet almost instantly. There wasn’t even time for his brothers to make a joke about him being whipped he was gone so fast.
Colt chuckled, “I never thought I’d see him this happy, not after Jemma left town when we were kids.”
“I wish I’d seen them together back then... maybe if I’d been here he wouldn’t have thought he had to drive her away.”
“Nah, you can’t think like that.” Colt shook off the comment easily, “They found their way back to each other. That’s what matters. They were meant to be and they found a way to overcome their bullshit. When it’s real, that’s what you do.”
Remy almost made a smart remark about Colt waxing poetic when just months ago he hadn’t even been able to admit he wanted Skylar let alone that he loved her, but he didn’t. Because Colt was right. They all had their issues, their scars, even the girls, but loving each other and being together made them strong enough to overcome the demons.
Wasn’t that what he’d done with Rachel? He’d revealed all of his secrets to her. He’d told her everything that he’d thought could drive her away. He wanted her to do the same, to tell him whatever it was she was holding back, and let him fight her demons with her. He thought that together they could overcome anything.
“Mind if I sit?” A rough voice spoke and he and Colt both looked up in time to watch Ford drop into the chair Cash had vacated.
“Hey. Thanks for coming.” Colt nodded to him, “It means a lot to Cash to have the family here supporting him.”
“Nice to be invited. Been a long while since we had anything worth celebrating.” Ford fingered his beard and frowned, “None of Abel’s boys made it?”
“Nah, Noah said he was busy and Abel… he said it was too soon. None of them wanted the reminder.”
Ford nodded and the three of them fell silent as they thought about the last time there was supposed to be a wedding in the family. Joel, the second oldest of the Bible Bomar clan, had been engaged a few years ago. He’d been just a few short weeks from walking down the aisle with his high school sweetheart, Nessa. Then he’d had an accident, wrecked his car, and all of those plans had been abandoned for a funeral instead. Remy hadn’t been in Old Settlers at the time but he’d heard the devastating news from Lincoln.
It had been about five years since they put Joel in the ground but the Bible Bomars were still mourning. Abel was as angry as ever, blaming everyone and everything for what had happened to his beloved second in command. Noah had stepped up to take Joel’s place in the family, in the organization, and had been struggling to be his own man ever since. Silas had gone to prison not long after and Levi had been in and out of jail and rehab. Only Daniel, the baby of the family, had seemed to come out of the last five years unscathed but he was still so young, barely seventeen, that everyone was hoping he would escape the Bomar curse and make something of himself.
Five years since Nessa gave birth to Micah. Five years since the next generation of Bomars had been born. Five years without anything good happening to them until Jemma had come running home to Cash. Now they were married and in a few more months, Micah would have a cousin to play with. More Bomars, something that Remy would’ve thought of as a bad thing before he met Nessa and Jemma and Skylar and his Rachel.
Now… now he knew that the next generation of Bomars would be nothing like his or the one before them. Because these women were nothing like the ones that had come before them. They were strong and independent. They were feisty and demanding. They didn’t take shit off anyone and they would raise good boys who would turn into good men.
For the first time in a long time, the Bomars future looked bright.
“Think I’m gonna go dance with my girl before she does something that’ll get her in trouble.” Colt smirked when Skylar shimmied against Bentley, who she’d begun dancing with as a new song blasted over the speakers, “See you guys later.”
Remy nodded and watched his little brother stride confidently to the middle of the floor and jerk the blonde away from their cousin. Skylar immediately molded her back to Colt’s front and did the same shimmy she’d been giving Bentley a moment ago. Their cousin threw his hands up innocently and backed off quickly, clearly knowing what was good for him since Colt was possessive as hell when it came to Skylar.
Ford chuckled, “Maybe the kid does have a brain after all.”
Remy smirked, “Maybe.”
They fell silent again as they watched their friends and family dance and mingle. Rachel had retreated from the dance floor since her friends were now dancing with their men. She was at the bar in the corner, getting a bottle of water, and he kept one eye on her, though he didn’t immediately go to her since he was hoping his usually quiet cousin had approached him in order to say something. He wasn’t disappointed when Ford eventually sighed.
“Link was sorry he couldn’t be here. He knows you want to talk and will be by tomorrow to see ya.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“No problem.”
“Any idea what it is he wants with Rachel?”
Ford shrugged.
“Is that a no?”
Ford scratched his beard, “He wants to talk to her about Bug.”
